Saturday, July 26, 2014

A quick post today, I wanted to share a mixed media piece that I have been working on for a friend. A little something to encourage her through this rough patch.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope your weekend is filled with wonderful moments. I'm going to link this up to a challenge that is happening over at Simon says stamp, click on over and check out the artful work there!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Here is the second of my little 5x5 canvas' focusing on verses from the book of John chapter 15. These little mini canvas' have been so enjoyable to work on and have allowed me to be as bright and colorful as I want.

I used gesso, acrylic ink, random bits of paper, water color markers, back ground stamps, sharpies and a white paint pen. So fun! I hope your week is filled with LOVE:o)

I'll talk to you again soon!

PS: I am linking this up to a new challenge I found Word Art Wednesday check it out! It is very encouraging.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

They are the perfect size for gift cards or small greeting cards or
like this one, holding a mini book that can be used for photos or art
journaling. The suitcase goes together really easily, is super sturdy
and has lots of area for altering.

I picked up a stack of scrap mat
board last year from H-L for about $5.00. I used some of it for
practicing different mixed media techniques, but some of it was so pretty
with different textures that I couldn't make myself paint over it, so
the stack sat in my studio until I got this die. I have made several of
them, now I'm just waiting for the perfect occasion to personalize them and give them away.

This one is altered with several of my favorite things, polka dots and paint spatters, tags, collage and altered metal findings that I made with aluminum tape and embossing folders. So fun!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Here we are flipping through my art journals again. This time I'm sharing a page I did using small boxes randomly drawn on a page. Instead of using the whole page in one sitting I used the smaller boxes at different times. I this case over the course of several days, I kept coming back and adding details. Having a smaller space didn't seem so intimidating, I could do a quick sketch in one of the boxes that seemed to fit the situation at the time.

I used a water soluble graphite pencil to do the initial sketches and then outlined some of them with a black ink pen, journaling around and in little areas of the boxes. I had a red ink pen in my purse on another day and went in and added a little color to the page and then playing with a waterbrush I smudged the outlines of the boxes.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Surprise! It's another bird. For a couple of years I have been collecting ideas and watching videos trying to work up the courage to actually paint and draw on canvas like a real artist. A few months ago I found some fun sized canvases (5x5) in the dollar bins at my local big box store, they had pre-printed pictures on them kind of like a paint by number deal, without the numbers or the paints.

Anyway, I picked up a few of them because it didn't feel like a huge commitment if I painted over their designs. I wouldn't be messing up anything and I could experiment with some of the ideas I had been collecting. This joyful little bird is the result.

I was reading in the the book of John and found this verse that just seemed to go with him. Which started me off on a whole other tangent. So this one canvas is turning into a collection of three based on three verses from John chapter 15. I'll share the others as I finish them. Until then, choose JOY.

Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a comment and say hello! I'll talk to you again soon.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

I've been working on some mixed media canvas' and this is one I thought I would share with you today. I used the typical supplies like paint, both acrylic and watercolor, gesso and mat gel medium and some random bits of scrap paper and permanent markers. Some of the not so typical items are from things around the house, the stars (cereal box) shapes covered in tin foil then painted with gesso and sprayed through a piece of shelf liner. I also was able to emboss the tin foil with some fun swirls and marks, they don't lay completely flat so they also add a bit of dimension.

The glow circles around the stars are a combination of the end of a paper towel roll and a soda bottle cap.

My houses are constructed from some of the postage I have been saving from this seasons wedding, graduation and baby shower invitations. They all had pretty stamps.

This is a new type of art for me and I have been having a lot of fun with it.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look. I'll talk to you again soon. I'm going to link up with a couple of challenges I found that looked like fun. Check out their sites here: One little word and Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Friday again! Hope your week was great. Here's another peek into my art journals. This time I was playing around with water colors trying to get comfortable with different kinds of media.

Now my mom tells me that when I was little my first word was not momma or daddy it was "uh oh" and I said it for everything. Then the big day came when I added a second word to my vocabulary my choice, "bird". So I guess it's not that surprising I like to draw birds and bird related images and collect pictures of them as well. I also like to photograph them, but I'm still working on getting good at that.

Birdhouses are a particular favorite and I have several scattered around my studio just waiting for the day when I have a tree to hang them on. I used a photograph that I took at a bio-park for this picture. I just keep practicing.

At least you can sort of tell what they are:o) Thanks for stopping by, I'll talk to you again soon.

Monday, July 7, 2014

I needed a fun, somewhat sophisticated, but quick and easy hands on activity for a team meeting. Pinterest to the rescue! I found this little activity while looking for DIY jewelry ideas. The original pin is here. Her instructions are great, but I made a few changes. I also added some additional choices of shapes and embossing patterns. We used Tim Holtz metallic distress paint to add patina to our little works of art. I simplified the process by having each participant cover 3x5 pieces of card stock on both sides with the aluminum tape and then run it through the Big Shot to cut everything out at once. They then chose an embossing folder they liked and ran their cut outs through the Big Shot a second time to get the embossed pattern. They turned out great and everyone had a good time making their own versions. (multiple times:o)

Thanks for stopping by I hope you have a great week. I'll talk to you again soon.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Hi, another Friday and another chance to flip through my art journals to share some of my work, the good, the bad and the happy accidents. I've been trying to get myself comfortable with doing quick sketches in my little journal with just a pencil and whatever happens to be lying around on my desk or floating through my brain at the time. I feel really self-conscience sitting in a public place sketching, so I've been pushing my self a little at a time.

And my newest leap into my personal scary place... faces! I took a quick little downloaded workshop by Jane Davenport (here). She is really fun to watch and makes you feel like you can do art.

I think they are getting better. Their expressions are not as "scary" as my first attempts.

Thanks for stopping by, Happy 4th of July!!! I'll talk to you again soon.

About Me

I live here in the "Land of Enchantment" and work as a full time elementary school librarian. I love stamping, all types of papercrafts, photography and sewing. I also love to share about all of the above.